


Take me to the place where I belong

by amarmeme



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Bethany gets angry (a little), F/F, Mage Rebellion, Pirates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 13:34:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19230163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amarmeme/pseuds/amarmeme
Summary: I hope that this captured a bit of what you envisioned. I loved the idea of Bethany coming into herself and finding her voice after years of being "the good one." I don't know how long Isabela could resist the sea, but she would certainly go if Bethany needed her. :)





	Take me to the place where I belong

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AntivanCrafts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AntivanCrafts/gifts).



The streets practically ran red with wine in Wycome. From her window seat perched above the city’s docks, Bethany Hawke had observed more drunken fisherman in the last fortnight than her entire stint in Kirkwall. Despite all the revelry around her, it was a lonely time, watching the ships come in and out of port, waiting for a sign that she could return home. Wherever that was. Wherever her sister deemed it would be.

Bethany sighed, resting her chin on a hand, and turned back to the book in her lap. Aveline had let her pack a few things before she left Kirkwall, which she was grateful for, but the books had lost their luster. Once they had been wicked, especially so when read beneath the covers in the Circle. But now, after having read them over and over, the vulgar became almost boring. Isabela would have been impressed with Bethany’s maturity. The first time she read _The Templar’s Sword_ she’d blushed from embarrassment, then peered around the room during each naughty bit to ensure no one could see what she’d been doing.

Invariably, her thoughts had turned to Isabela in those moments, perfectly aware of her arousal. Isabela had supplied the books, and the letters that had accompanied them, but Bethany never had the courage to tell Isabela how it had truly impacted her.

 _If only,_  she thought, staring out the dirty window once more.

Weeks wore on and Bethany ventured down to the docks. She channeled Isabela, or at least a very tame imitation of the pirate. She tried to tell herself Wycome was an adventure. She wasn’t in a Circle any longer, there was no point in staying in her rooms. No one knew Bethany in Wycome and it wasn’t as if anyone could tell she was a mage just by looking at her. Right?

A few small fishing boats lined the docks beneath the morning sun. Most fisherman had gone out already; perhaps the few remaining were deep in drink. Bethany walked down along a wooden pier, enjoying the breeze off the water and surprisingly, the smell of the place: brine and fish and tared wood. At the very end of the dock she raised a hand above her eyes. She peered out to the ocean beyond, where the waves were strong and sea birds swooped down to catch their own fish.

If she had been Isabela, she would have taken the biggest boat she could find and rowed somewhere, anywhere. But she wasn’t her -- she was Bethany Hawke, and her patience and good nature was wearing thin.

On a particularly dreary morning, Bethany went to the market in search for something to bide her time. She debated whether drinking alone meant she was depressed or desperate. On the return though, her arms were full, as well as her basket. Bethany shuffled her items between her arms and hands in order to manage the lock on her room, dropping a few rolls in the process. With the door unlocked, she picked up her fallen wares from the market and pushed the door with her hip. Her room was small and plain, with no corners for hiding. Because of this, there was nowhere for Isabela to sit in wait other than Bethany’s bed. The pirate didn’t behave like any normal visitor, but rested with an arm beneath her head and one leg draped over the other, thigh-high boots and all. She was reading one of the books she’d sent Bethany years prior. Standing still in the doorframe, everything tumbled out of Bethany’s arms onto the floor, including a bottle of Antivan red.

“Isn’t that a shame,” Isabela said, twisting to her side.

“What are you doing here?” Isabela raised an eyebrow at Bethany’s tone. Bethany collected herself and bent down to pick up the broken glass.

Her guest heaved herself off the bed and threw the book in the center. She didn’t help Bethany pick up the mess, but rather guided her to stand by the elbows. Wet shards of glass in her palms, Bethany held herself stiffly.

“I’m here to see you, Sweetness. It took a lot of flattery and creative bribing, but I finally got Red to let me in on the secret. I can’t believe Hawke sent you to Wycome.” She smiled her coy Isabela smile. “Been having fun here all by yourself? Meet any nice fishermen by the docks?”

Bethany pushed out of her reach and deposited the glass in a small dish on the side table. It was blue patterned and very fine, with small wildflowers and windmills that her mother would have loved. She wasn’t sure why she was angry with Isabela -- she wasn't the one who sent her off without a choice.

“It's been nearly six months since Aveline left me here,” Bethany said. “And in that time I’ve neither had any fun nor met any fishermen of note.”

Isabela had followed her, though the room wasn’t that large to begin with. She sat down and patted the bedcovers beside her. “I came as quick as I could.”

Bethany raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. “That doesn’t mean I still can’t be angry with all of you.”

“All of us? Sweetness, I wasn’t even in Kirkwall when Hawke sent you away.”

“Exactly!” Bethany shouted. She lowered her voice. “And no one asked what I wanted, or gave me a chance to think. I’ve heard nothing about my sister or the Circles since I left Kirkwall. Those mages were people I knew for years, they were my friends, not just the people Marian Hawke saved from Meredith. Don't you think I would have liked to stay with them?

Isabela grabbed her hand, gently lead her to sit. “Why didn’t you say so? You’re a big girl.”

The pirate stroked Bethany’s arm. Despite her flash of anger, the touch felt good, reassuring. Isabela’s warmth next to her was welcoming, safe. In truth, Bethany always felt this way in Isabela’s presence, like the older woman would never let anything harm her. Maybe that’s why her disappearance from Bethany’s life felt like a cold slap.

“I’d been raised to be the good one, to never stray from the line. I have to hide part of myself around most people. But in the Circle I didn't have to hide anything. It's the most normal I’d ever felt in my life. When Marian said I had to leave...” She shrugged. “I thought it was the least I owed her at the time. She wants me safe, I know that.”

Isabela tucked a strand of Bethany’s hair behind her ear. “I respect Hawke, but she’s not always right. It is your life. You shouldn’t be hiding away in this hole if you don’t want to be.”

Bethany looked up into Isabela’s beautiful brown eyes. There was a promise there, one Bethany could see without even having to ask. But, she had to ask. It was only polite.

 

They’d reached Val Royeaux in good time, according to Isabela. Not that Bethany would have known any differently. The last time she’d been on a ship, Carver had just died. If pressed, she would have guessed the trip took years for as miserable as she felt. This time Isabela kept her spirits high, showing her what sights she could see from the mast of her ship, teaching her dirty songs and wickedly tricky knots. They dined together each evening and slept side-by-side each night. She’d never felt more free. Adventure wasn’t nearly as intimidating as Bethany had imagined years before, confined to her safe Circle.

In the city they heard more information than she’d expected to find. The White Spire had fallen, dramatically in fact, with phylacteries destroyed and mages revolting only short weeks before. Isabela found them a contact who whispered rebellion -- and only would do so once Bethany proved herself a mage. Even Isabela had to admit that was a first -- Bethany lobbed a fireball near the fool's head. He spoke though: if  they wanted to reach the mages, they’d have to travel the Imperial Highway to Andoral’s Reach.

That evening, Bethany rested uneasily. It had been a few blissful weeks with Isabela’s company, her warmth, her laugh and her wicked tongue (and fingers and breasts and all the wonderful things Bethany had imagined but never experienced before). Isabela had helped her out of a bind, had been generous and kind and treated her with respect. But now the end of that adventure was here; Bethany had decided those long months in Wycome that placidity was not all she wanted. She wanted to have a voice, and not just for herself, but for all mages. She very much doubted Isabela would follow her there. She’d been left before.

To Isabela’s credit, after a wonderful recounting of the six things women are good for, the pirate pulled Bethany into her arms and rested her chin on top of her head.

“What’s wrong, Sweetness?”

Not that long ago Bethany would have swallowed her concerns. But months of solitude followed by uninterrupted companionship of the finest pirate Thedas had ever seen did a lot to bolster her courage. She rolled up, looking down at the relaxed, unabashedly naked Isabela and raised her chin.

“I’m going to Andoral’s Reach. I don't know what will happen, but it's where I belong.” She traced Isabela’s cheek. “And I want you to come with me.”

Isabela grinned and took her hand, kissing her fingers. “Look who's found her voice."

"That isn't an answer," Bethany said, smiling nonetheless. 

 "Then let me show you I mean yes." Isabela rolled so Bethany was trapped beneath her. "I'll take you wherever you're meant to be, Sweetness."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that this captured a bit of what you envisioned. I loved the idea of Bethany coming into herself and finding her voice after years of being "the good one." I don't know how long Isabela could resist the sea, but she would certainly go if Bethany needed her. :)


End file.
